The purpose of this Summary Report is to consolidate surface water quality monitoring information collected in the Minnesota River Basin for the calendar year 2000. This Report pulls together data collected by multiple agencies and organizations and presents the data in a fashion that allows for comparison between some of the major tributaries and mainstem sites in the Minnesota River Basin.

This initial attempt to summarize annual water quality data collected by multiple agencies falls short in that not all tributary data were able to be included in the report. Noticeably lacking are data from tributaries located on the Lower Minnesota River between St. Peter and the confluence with the Mississippi River at Fort Snelling. Previous work has indicated that this portion of the basin contributes a sizable portion of the nonpoint load to the Minnesota River. Although monitoring stations exist in this portion of the basin, at the time this report was being assembled, some organizations had not finalized data analysis for the year 2000. It is expected that the 2001 Summary Report will include data from some of these missing watersheds or stations. In addition, this Report does not include data from many of the smaller tributaries and field scale evaluations occurring within the basin.

This Report also helps fulfill the overall mission of the Minnesota River Basin Data Center, which is to inventory, develop, retrieve, interpret and disseminate information on topics that impact the environment, economy and communities within the Minnesota River Basin. This mission was first articulated by the Citizens Advisory Committee in a series of recommendations to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), and later by the Minnesota River Basin Joint Powers Board. This report is not related to any state mandates or requirements and all organizations and agencies participated voluntarily.

The most comprehensive study of water quality in the Minnesota River Basin, the 1994 Minnesota River Assessment Project (MRAP), concluded that the Minnesota River is impaired by excessive nutrient and sediment concentrations. Since the publication of MRAP, several organizations throughout the basin have taken responsibility for collecting additional data to better define tributary characteristics and learn more about how these tributaries affect the condition of the Minnesota River. In many parts of the basin, this information is used to target implementation practices that reduce nonpoint source pollution, thereby improving the overall health of the Minnesota River. Local watershed projects are supported mainly by Clean Water Partnership grants administered by the MPCA. Much of the remaining data presented in this Report are provided through monitoring programs of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Metropolitan Council Environmental Services with contributions from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Minnesota State Climatology Office.

A secondary purpose of this Summary Report is to provide a forum for continued discussion and improvement of the methodologies used by various organizations to collect and interpret physical and chemical water quality data. Presently, within the Basin, slightly different methodologies are used to collect and analyze data. By documenting and assessing current methodologies, we can begin to identify those of greatest utility and hopefully improve efficiencies and reduce costs. More importantly, adoption of a standard set of methods will allow us to draw more meaningful and accurate water quality comparisons across the basin. This, in turn, should help direct limited resources to areas of greatest need.

Preparation of this Summary Report is a joint venture of the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Water Resources Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The report is posted on the Minnesota River Basin Data Center web site at http://mrbdc.mnsu.edu/ to allow wide access and opportunity for review and comment on its content.

Contributors

Data to compile this report were submitted and reviewed by representatives of several organizations including:

Brown-Nicollet-Cottonwood Clean Water Project
Chippewa River Watershed Project
High Island Creek Watershed Assessment Project
Martin County Environmental Services
Metropolitan Council Environmental Services Program
Minnesota Department of Agriculture Surface Water Monitoring Program
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Mankato Office
Redwood-Cottonwood Rivers Control Area
Watonwan River Clean Water Partnership Project
Water Resources Center, Minnesota State University, Mankato

The authors would also like to acknowledge the USGS for much of the flow data that was utilized in the completion of this Report. They are a valuable resource for many organizations throughout the Minnesota River Basin.

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State of the Minnesota River: Summary of Surface Water Quality Monitoring 2000  
Complete Report  ( pdf  2.1 MB)

Report by Section
Cover   ( pdf  150 K )
Table of Contents  ( pdf  12 K )
Report   (pdf  453 K )
Appendices   ( pdf  18 K )
Map   page vi   ( pdf  453 K )